Abstract

African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are often the least popular large carnivore
among game ranchers because of their perceived impact on prey populations. Landowner
perceptions include that wild dogs greatly deplete prey during their three-month denning
period, take prey that could otherwise be sold for hunting and cause prey to move away
from the vicinity of their den sites. Landowners’ tolerance towards African wild dogs could
thus be improved with a more rigorous understanding of the actual impact of wild dogs on
prey populations during the denning period. Using impala density data and wild dog
denning records from Sango Ranch in the Save´ Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe, we
compared impala densities between pre-denning, denning and post-denning season and
between inside and outside the denning home range. Our results indicate that wild dog
denning does not cause a significant local reduction in prey around the den and does not
cause prey to move away from denning areas. However prey species did occur in lower
density inside the denning home ranges than outside, in all seasons. This result indicates
that wild dogs select dens in areas of lower prey density, perhaps as an avoidance
mechanism for lions. Accordingly, contrary to what landowners believe, wild dogs do not
have a significant impact on prey populations during their denning season.